Gospel of Philip

The Gospel according to Philip is a highly apocryphal text, occasionally quoted in the early church. Coptic translations were discovered in 1945 among a trove of Egyptian papyri. It is attributed to Philip the Evangelist (see Acts 6, 8, and 21).

1 A Hebrew person makes a convert Hebrew, who moreover is called thus: a novice (proselyte). Yet a novice does not make another novice. Some persons are as they are ... and also influence others to become like themselves, while for the remainder it suffices to them that they shall be.

2 The slave seeks only to be set free, yet he does not seek after the estate of his master. Yet the son is not only a son, but also ascribes to himself the inheritance of the father.

3 Those who inherit the dead are themselves dead, and they inherit the dead. Those who inherit the living are alive, and they inherit both the living and the dead. The dead do not inherit anything. For how will the dead inherit? When the dead inherits the living, he shall not die but rather the dead shall instead live.

4 A nationalist does not die, for he has never lived so that he could die. Whoever has trusted the truth is alive--and this-one is in danger of dying as a martyr, for he is alive since the day that the Christ came.

5 The system is contrived, the cities are constructed, the dead carried out.

6 In the days when we were Hebrews we were orphans, having only our Mother (the Spirit). Yet when we become Messianics, the Father joins with the Mother.

7 Those who sow in the winter reap in the summer. The winter is the world, the summer is the other aeon. Let us sow in the world so that we will harvest in the summer. Because of this, it is appropriate for us not to pray in the wintertime. What emerges from the winter is the summer. Yet if anyone reaps in the winter he will not harvest but rather uproot, as this method will not produce fruit. Not only does it not come forth in the winter, but in the other Sabbath also his field is fruitless.

8 The Christ came! Some indeed he ransomed, yet others he rescued, yet for others he atoned. He ransomed the alienated, he brought them to himself. And he rescued those who came to him. These he set as pledges in his will. Not only when he appeared did he voluntarily lay down his soul, but since the day of the world's coming-to-be he placed his soul. Then at the time he desired he came earliest to reclaim her, since she was placed among the pledges. She had come to be under the bandits and they had taken her captive, yet he rescued her. He atoned for both the good and the evil in the world.

9 The light with the darkness, life with death, the right with the left are brothers one to another. It is not possible for them to be separated from one another. Because of this, neither is the good a good, nor are the evils an evil, nor is the life a life, nor is the death a death. Therefore each individual shall be solved into his origin from the beginning. Yet those who have been exalted above the world are indissoluble and eternal.

10 The names which have been given by the worldly--therein is a great confusion. For their hearts are turned away from the real unto the unreal. And he who hears the word 'God' does not think of the real, but rather he is made to think of the unreal. So also with the words 'the Father' and 'the Son' and 'the Holy Spirit' and 'the Life' and 'the Light' and 'the Resurrection' and 'the Convocation' and all the other words--they do not think of the real, but rather they are made to think of the unreal. Moreover they learn the all-human reality of death. They are in the system, they think of the unreal. If they were in eternity, they would not designate anything as a worldly evil nor would they be placed within worldly events. There is a destiny for them in eternity.

11 One single name they do not utter in the world--the name which the Father bestows upon himself in the Son. This he exalts above every other name. For the Son will not become the Father unless the name of the Father was bestowed upon him. This existing name they are indeed each made to think to himself, yet they speak it not. Yet those who do not have it do not even think it. But the truth begets these words in the world for our sake. It would not be possible to learn it without words.

12 She alone is the truth. She makes the many, and she teaches us this alone in love through many.

13 The authorities desire to deceive humankind, because they perceived him being in a kinship to the truly good. So they took the word 'good', they applied it to the ungood so that through words they might deceive and bind him within the ungood. And subsequently whenever grace is enacted to them, they are to be withdrawn from the ungood and be appointed in the good--as these know. For they desired to take the free person and keep him as a slave to themselves forever. There is empowerment given to humans. They do not want him to know, so that they will become masters over him. For where there is humankind, there is slavery.

14 Sacrifice began ..., and they offered up animals to the powers. ... They indeed offered them up alive, but when they were offered up they died. But the human was offered up dead to God, and he lived.

15 Before Christ came there was no bread in the world as there had been in paradise, the place where Adam was. There were many plants as nourishment for the animals, but it had no grain as food for humankind. So humans ate like the animals. But Christ came, the perfect person. He brought forth bread in heaven so that humankind would be nourished with the food of humankind.

16 The authorities think that by their own power and volition they are doing what they do. Yet the Holy Spirit in secret was energizing everything thru them as she wished.

17 The truth is sown everywhere from the origin, and the multitude see it sown. Yet few who see it reap it.

18 Some say that Mariam was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. They are confused, they know not what they say. Whenever was a female impregnated by a female? Mariam is the virgin whom no power defiled. She is the great consecration for the Hebrew Apostles and for the Apostolics. If the powers attempted to defile this virgin, they would only defile themselves. And the Lord did not say 'my Father in heaven', as if he had another father--but rather he said simply 'my Father'.

19 The Lord said to the Disciples: ... Indeed come into the house of the Father, but do not possess anything in the house of the Father nor take anything away.

20a. Yeshúa is a secret name, Christ is a revealed name. Thus Yeshúa does not occur in any other languages, but rather his name is Yeshúa as he is called. Yet his name Christ in Aramaic is Messiah, but in Ionian is: O CRISTOS. Altogether, it is in all the other languages according to each one's word for anointed.

20b. The revealed Nazarene is the secret!

21. The Christ has everything within himself--whether human or angel or mystery, and also the Father.

22. They say that the Lord first died and then arose; they are confused. For first he arose and then he died. If anyone does not first acquire the resurrection he will die, for he is not really alive until God transforms him.

23 No one will hide a precious valuable in something expensive, but oftentimes has something worth countless myriads been placed in something worth a pittance. Thus is the case with the soul--a precious thing has come to be in a lowly body.

24 Some are fearful lest they arise naked. Therefore they desire to arise in the flesh, and they do not know that those who wear the flesh are the denuded. Those ... who are divested of the flesh are those who are clad in the images.

25 Paul claims that 'flesh and blood cannot inherit the Sovereignty of God.' What is this which shall not inherit? This which is upon us? Yet this is exactly what will inherit--that which belongs to Yeshúa with his flesh and blood. Therefore he said: Whoever does not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within himself. What is his flesh?--it is the Logos. And his blood?--it is the Holy Spirit. Whoever has received these has food and drink and clothing. I disagree with those who say that flesh and blood shall not arise. Then these both are wrong: thou say that the flesh shall not arise, but tell me what will arise so that we may honor thee; thou say it is the spirit in the flesh and this light in the flesh, but this also is an incarnate saying. For whatever thou will say, thou do not speak apart from the flesh! It is necessary to arise in this flesh, as everything exists within it.

26 In this world they who wear garments of cloth are more valuable than the garments. In the Sovereignty of the Heavens the garments of imagery are more valuable than those to whom they have been given by means of water and fire, which purify the entire place.

27 The revelations by means of revelation, the secrets by means of secrecy. Some things are kept secret by means of the revelations.

28 There is liquid in water, there is fire in Chrism.

29 Yeshúa took them all by stealth. For he did not reveal himself as he really was, but rather he reveals himself as they will be able to perceive him. He revealed himself to them all--he revealed himself to the great as great, he revealed himself to the small as small, he revealed himself to the angels as an angel and to humans as a human. Thus his Logos concealed him from everyone. Some indeed saw him while they thought they were seeing themselves. But when he revealed himself to his Disciples in glory on the mountain he was not made small. He became great, but he made the Disciples great so that they would be capable of beholding him made great.

30 He says today in the Eucharist: Oh thou who have mated the Perfect Light with the Holy Spirit, mate also our angels with our imagery!

31 Do not disdain the Lamb, for without him it is not possible to see the door. No one divested will be able to enter unto the King.

32 The Sons of the Man of Heaven are more numerous than those of the man of earth. If the sons of Adam are numerous although they surely die, how many more are the Sons of the Perfect Man--those who do not die but rather are continually born!

33 The Father creates a Son, but it is not possible for the Son himself to create a Son. For it is impossible for him who is begotten himself to beget. But rather the Son begets for himself Brothers instead of Sons.

34 All those who are begotten in the system are begotten physically, and the others are begotten spiritually. Those begotten in his heart call forth there to humankind in order to nourish them in the promise of the goal which is above. ...

35 The Logos comes forth from the mouth. And he who is nourished from the mouth shall become perfect. The perfect are conceived thru a kiss and they are born. Therefore we also kiss one another--to receive conception in our mutual grace.

36 There were three Mariams who walked with the Lord at all times: his mother and his sister and the Magdalene, she who is called his mate. Thus his true Mother, Sister and Mate is also called 'Mariam'.

37 'Father' and 'Son' are single names, 'Holy Spirit' is a double name. For the Father and the Son are everywhere--above and below, secretly and manifestly. The Holy Spirit is the secret above within the manifestation below.

38 The Saints are served by the oppressive powers, for the latter are blinded by the Holy Spirit so that they think they are assisting a human when in fact they are working for the Saints. Because of this, (when) a Disciple one day made request of the Lord for something worldly, he said to him: Request of thy Mother and she will give to thee from what belongs to another.

39 The Apostles said to the Disciples: May our entire offering obtain salt! They called grace 'salt'--without it no offering becomes acceptable.

40 Wisdom is barren without the Son--hence she is called his Mother. But in the place of salt ... the Holy Spirit has many Sons.

41 Everything that the Father possesses belongs to the Son. And also he the Son, as long as he is small, the Father does not entrust to him what is his. But when he matures, the Father bestows on him all that he himself has.

42 Those who are lost are also begotten by the Holy Spirit, and they go astray through her. Thus by the one breath, the fire both blazes and is extinguished.

43 Wisdom is one thing, and dead wisdom is another. Wisdom is simply being wise, yet dead wisdom is the wisdom of death. That which acknowledges death is called the trite wisdom.

44 There are animals which are subject to mankind, such as the calf and the donkey and others of this kind. There are others which are not subject, and live apart in the wilderness. Man plows the field by means of the animals that are subject, and from this he feeds both himself and the animals whether tame or wild. So it is with the Perfect Person--through the powers that are subject he plows, providing for everything which exists. For because of this the entire place stands--whether the good or the evil, both the right and the left. The Sacred Spirit shepherds everyone and commands all the powers, both those who are subject and also those who are not subject and are isolated. For truly she continues ... to control them beyond their own volition. ...

45. Adam was formed, and yet thou will not find his sons to be noble formations. If he were not formed but rather begotten, thou would find his seed to be noble. Yet for now he has been formed and he has begotten. What nobility is this?

46 Adultery occurred first, then murder. And Cain was begotten in adultery, for he was the son of the serpent. Therefore he became a manslayer just like his father, and he killed his brother. Yet every mating which has occurred between those who are dissimilar is adultery.

47 God is a dyer. Just as the good pigments which are called true then label the things which have been permanently dyed in them, so it is also with those whom God colors. Because his hues are imperishable, those who are tinted become immortal through his coloring. Yet God immerses whomever he baptizes in an inundation of waters.

48 It is not possible for anyone to see anything of those that are established unless he becomes like them. Not as with the person who is in the world--he sees the sun without becoming a sun, and he sees the sky and the earth and all other things without being them. But in the truth it is thus--thou thyself saw something of that place, and thou came to be there. Thou saw the Spirit, thou became spiritual; thou saw the Christ, thou became christlike; thou saw the Father, thou shall become paternal. Thus in the world ... thou see everything and ... thou do not see thy self, yet thou see thy self in that place. For what thou see, thou shall become.

49 Faith receives, love gives. No one can receive without faith, no one can give without love. Therefore we believe in order that indeed we shall receive, yet we love in order that we may truly give. Otherwise, if someone gives without love, he derives no benefit from giving.

50 Whoever has not received the Lord is still a Hebrew.

51 The Apostles who preceded us called him thus: Yeshúa the Nazirite Messiah, that is Yeshúa the Nazirite Christ. The last name is the Christ, the first is Yeshúa, the middle is the Nazirite. Messiah has two significations: both anointed and also measurement. Yeshúa in Aramaic is the Atonement. Nazara is the truth, therefore the Nazirite is the true. Christ is the measurement, the Nazirite and Yeshúa are the measured.

52 If the pearl is cast down into the mire it is not despised, nor if it is anointed with balsam oil is it more valued. But rather it has its great worth to its owner at all times. So it is with the Sons of God--whatever happens to them, they still have the great value to their Father.

53 If thou say 'I'm a Jew'--no one will be moved. If thou say 'I'm a Roman'--no one will be disturbed. If thou say 'I'm a Greek, a barbarian, a slave, a freeman'--no one will be troubled. If thou say 'I'm a Christic°'--everyone will tremble. May it be that I speak in such a manner that they will not be able to withstand hearing this name!

54 A god is a cannibal. Because of this, they sacrifice mankind to it. Before they sacrificed mankind, they were sacrificing animals. For these to which they sacrificed, were not divinities.

55 Both vessels of glass and vessels of pottery come to be through fire. But if glass vessels break they are remade, for they come to be by means of breath (spirit). Yet if pottery vessels break they are destroyed, for they come to be without breath.

56 A donkey going in a circle at a millstone did a hundred miles walking. When it was released it found itself still in the same place. There are also people who take many journeys but make no progress anywhere. When evening comes upon them, they discern neither city nor village, neither creation nor nature, neither power nor angel. In vain did the wretches toil!

57 The Eucharist is Yeshúa. For in Aramaic they call him farisatha--this is, the outspread. For Yeshúa came to crucify the world.

58 The Lord went into the dyeworks of Levi. He took 72 complexions, he threw them into the vat. He brought them all up white, and he said: This is how the son of mankind comes--as a dyer.

59 The wisdom which humans call barren is the Mother of the Angels. And the Mate of the Christ is Mariam Magdalene. The Lord loved Mariam more than all the other Disciples, and he kissed her often on her mouth. He embraced the other women also, yet they said to him: Why do thou love her more than all of us? || The Savior replied, he said to them: Why do I not love you as I do her?

60 While a blind person and one who sees are both in the dark, they do not differ from one another. But when the light comes, then he who sees shall behold the light yet he who is blind shall remain in the darkness.

61 The Lord said: Blest be he who was before he came into being. For he who is, both was and shall be.

62 The exaltation of mankind is not manifest but rather implicit. Because of this he dominates the animals which are stronger than him--who thus is great both manifestly and implicitly. And this gives to them their survival. Yet when mankind separates from them, they kill each other and gnash each other and devour each other, because they find no food. Yet when mankind cultivated the earth they found food.

63 If anyone goes down into the water and comes back up without having received, but says 'I'm a Christic', he has taken the name on loan. Yet if he receives the Holy Spirit, he has the gift of the name. He who has received a gift is not deprived of it, but he who takes a loan has it demanded from him.

64 This is how it is when someone exists in a mystery--the sacrament of marriage is grand. For the world is complex: the system is based upon mankind, yet mankind is based upon matrimony. Therefore contemplate the Pure Mating, for it has great power. Its imagery is in a defiling of bodies.

65 Among the unclean spirits there are male and female. The males indeed are those who mate with the souls inhabiting a female form, yet the females are those who unite with a male form--both thru disparity. And no one will be able to escape from these once they seize him unless he receives both male and female power--which is the Bridegroom with the Bride. One receives them in the mirrored Bridal-Chamber. Whenever the foolish women see a male sitting alone, they leap upon him to carouse with him and defile him. So also the foolish men when they see a beautiful female sitting alone, they seduce her or coerce her in the desire to defile her. Yet if they see the man sitting together with his woman, the females cannot violate the man nor can the males violate the woman. So it is if the imagery and the angel are mated together, neither can anyone dare to violate the male or the female. He who comes forth from the world cannot be detained any longer merely because he used to be in the world. It is evident that he transcends both the yearning and the fear of the flesh. He is master over desire, he is more precious than jealousy. And if the many come to seize him and strangle him, how will he not be able to escape by the salvation of God? How can he fear them?

66 Many times there are some who come and say: We are faithful, hide us from unclean spirits and demons! But if they had the Holy Spirit, no unclean spirit would cling to them.

67 Do not fear the flesh, nor love it. If thou fear it, it will enslave thee. If thou love it, it will devour and strangle thee.

68 One exists either in this world or in the resurrection or in the transitional regions. May it not occur that I be found in the latter! In this world there is good and evil. Its goods are not good and its evils are not evil. (Ph 9) Yet there is evil after this world, which is truly evil and which is called the transition; it is death. While we are in this world it is appropriate for us to be begotten in the resurrection, so that if we are divested of the flesh we shall find ourselves in the repose and not wander in the transition. For many go astray on the way. Thus it is good to come forth from the world before humankind transgressed.

69 Some indeed neither wish nor are able. Yet others if they wish gain no benefit, for they do not act correctly. For desire makes them transgressors. Yet not desiring righteousness conceals from them both the wish and the deed.

70 An Apostolic in a vision saw some ... who were in a house of fire, crying out in a fiery air, cast ... in the flames. ... Even the water in that place is aflame, and they declare to themselves: ... The waters cannot save us, whatever we may wish! They received death as chastisement. This is called the outermost darkness. The enemy comes forth in water with fire.

71 The soul and the spirit of the Son of the Bridal-Chamber come forth in water and fire with light. The fire is the Chrism, the light is the fire. I do not mean this fire that has no form, but rather the other--whose form is white and which is made of beautiful light and which bestows splendor.

72 The truth does not come unto the system naked, but rather it comes in symbolic imagery. The world will not receive it in any other fashion. There is a rebirth (or upbirth) together with a reborn (or upborn) imagery. It is truly appropriate to be reborn or upborn thru the imagery. What is the resurrection with its imagery?--it is appropriate to arise thru the imagery. The Bridal-Chamber with its imagery?--it is appropriate to come into the truth. This is the restoration. It is appropriate to be begotten not only of the words 'the Father with the Son with the Holy Spirit', but also to be begotten of them themselves. Whoever is not begotten of them will have the name also taken from him. Yet one receives them in the Chrism which comes in the power of the cross, which the Apostles call: the right with the left. For this-one is no longer a Christic but rather a Christ.

73. The Lord did everything sacramentally: Baptism and Chrism and Eucharist and Atonement and Holy Bridal-Chamber.

74. He said: I have come to make the outer as the inner and the above as the below. The other place is represented here in symbols. ... She is the one who is above. He who is revealed ... from there is called: he who is below. And he has the hidden that is there above him. For it is good that they say: the inner and the outer together with what is outside of the outer. Because of this, the Lord called destruction: the outer darkness. There is nothing outside of that. He said: thy Father in secret. He said: Go into thy closet, shut thy door behind thee and pray to thy Father in secret. This is He who is within them all. Yet He who is within them all is the fullness--beyond him there is nothing further within. This is what is meant by: He who is above them all.

75 Before Christ some came forth. They are no longer able to enter into whence they came, and they are no longer able to exit from whither they went. Yet the Christ came. Those who had gone in he brought out, and those who had gone out he brought in.

76 In the days when Eve was within Adam, there was no death. When she separated from him, death came to be. If she again enters and he receives her, death will no longer be.

77 'My God, my God, why oh Lord have thou abandoned me?'--He said these words on the cross. For he put asunder the entire place, having been begotten within the Holy Spirit by God.

78 The Lord arose from death. He became again as he had been, but his body was made entirely perfect. He wore the flesh, but this flesh is indeed the true flesh. Yet our flesh is not true, but rather a mirror-image of the true flesh.

79 The Bridal-Bed is not for the animals nor is it for the slaves nor for the impure women, but rather it is for the free men with the virgins.

80 Thru the Holy Spirit we are indeed born, yet we are reborn (or upborn) thru the Christ. In both we are anointed thru the Spirit--and having been begotten, we are mated.

81 No one will be able to see himself either in water or in a mirror without light. Nor again will thou be able to see thyself in the light without water or a mirror. Therefore it is appropriate to baptize in both--in the light and the water. Yet the light is the Chrism.

82. There had been three vestibules for places of offering in Jerusalem--one open to the west called the holy, another open to the south called the holy of the holiness, the third open to the east called the holy of the holinesses where the high priest alone was to enter. Baptism is the holy vestibule, Atonement is the holy of the holiness, the holy of the holinesses is the Bridal-Chamber. Baptism has the resurrection with the Atonement entering the Bridal-Chamber. Yet the Bridal-Chamber is more exalted than those. ... Thou will find nothing that compares with it.

83 Those who pray for Jerusalem pray in Jerusalem and they see Jerusalem. These are called the holies (or Saints) of the holinesses.

84 The sacred veil was torn in order to reveal the Bridal-Bed, which is nothing but the imagery which is above. And the veil was torn from the top to the bottom, for it is appropriate for some from below to go above.

85 Those who are clothed in the Perfect Light--the powers can neither see them nor restrain them. Yet one shall be clothed with light in the sacrament of the Mating.

86 If the female had not separated from the male, she would not die with the male. {Her} separation was the inception of death. Therefore Christ came, so that he might overcome the separation that had obtained from the beginning and again mate the two. And to those who have died in the separation he shall give life by mating them. Yet the woman mates with her husband in the bridal-bed. Those however who have mated in the Bridal-Bed will no longer be separated. Because of this, Eve separated from Adam--because she did not mate with him in the Bridal-Bed.

87 The soul of Adam came into being from a Spirit, and her Mate is the Christ. The Spirit bestowed upon Adam is his Mother, and is given to him in his soul. Yet because he was not mated ... in the Logos, the dominant powers bewitched him. But those who mate with the Holy Spirit in secret ... are invited individually to the Bridal-Bed, where they are mated.

88 Yeshúa revealed himself by the River Jordan as the fullness of the Sovereignty of the Heavens who precedes the totality. Moreover he was begotten as a Son, moreover he was anointed, moreover he was atoned, moreover he atoned.

89 If it is appropriate to tell a mystery, the Father of the totality mated with the Virgin who had come down--and a fire shone for him on that day. He revealed the great Bridal-Bed. Thus his body came into being on that day. He came forth in the Bridal-Bed as one issuing from the Bridegroom with the Bride. This is how Yeshúa established the essence of the totality. And it is appropriate for each one of the Disciples to enter into his repose.

90 Adam came into being thru two virgins--through the Spirit and through the virgin earth. Therefore Christ was begotten through a virgin, in order to rectify the fall which had occurred in the beginning.

Gospel of Philip - cont.